This invention is directed toward the art of producing and applying cleaning foam. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved method and applicator for producing cleaning foam to be used to clean the inside of food processing plants, although it will be appreciated that the invention has other applications in other environments where it is desired to continuously generate a foam or like substance.
Applicators for directing the spray of cleaning foam are extensively used in food processing plants to clean the dirt, dust and food residue, such as food protein, animal fat and animal blood generated by the everyday operations of such plants. Although such applications are known, the subject invention provides a new method and application which have several distinct advantages, in both structure and operation, not found in prior applicators.
One advantage is that of convenience. In the past, applicators have not included flow regulators which permitted the adjustment of pressurized cleaning liquid and pressurized air at the applicator itself. Instead, such controls were located either at the tank of pressurized cleaning liquid or at some location between the tank and the applicator. Consequently, when it became necessary to change the rate of flow of either the pressurized cleaning liquid or air, the operator would have to return to the tank to make such adjustments. In view of the fact that quite often the cleaning process takes place at distances of up to 50 feet from the cleaning liquid tank, the requirement of having to go back to the cleaning tank to make the adjustments was both time consuming and wasteful in terms of cleaning foam. The return trip to the cleaning tank also distributed foam along the way on items where it was neither needed nor desired.
The subject invention, however, alleviates this problem since the flow regulators are located at the applicator itself. Thus, when the operator must change the flow of either the pressurized cleaning liquid or the pressurized air, he is not required to return to the cleaning liquid tank but rather, may conveniently and easily make such adjustments while continuing the cleaning process. Such provision assures that no time or cleaning foam is unnecessarily wasted.
Further, once the cleaning process has been completed and the operator wishes to turn off the flow of cleaning foam, he can do so at the applicator. With prior applicators, this was often not possible so that it was necessary for the operator to return to the cleaning liquid tank for this purpose. As such, again, considerable amounts of cleaning foam were wasted during the time required to make the trip from the cleaning area back to the tank.
Finally, the occasion often arises wherein the operator has finished cleaning a specific area and wishes to shut off the flow of cleaning foam temporarily so that he may move to a new area and resume cleaning. Once again, substantial time and material savings can be realized when using the subject invention by having the capabilities of shutting off the flow of foam at the applicator during that time when the applicator is not being used.
Another advantage of the subject invention is found in the diffusion means used to produce the cleaning foam from the mixture of pressurized cleaning liquid and pressurized air. It has been discovered that the preferred diffusion means, that is, a stainless steel, plastic or other acceptable media which visually resembles a conventional household or kitchen cleaning pad, has superior foam producing qualities which do not exist in prior applicators. Prior applicators of this general type such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,191,790 and 2,864,714, have used diffusion means comprised of glass or ceramic beads. While such beads have provided adequate results, use of a stainless steel, plastic or other type of interwoven diffusing media in the subject method and applicator has been found to produce superior results.